Dictionary

slather en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈslæðə(ɹ)/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Unknown; attested from early 19th century, in the sense "to slip, slide". For the sense "to rain", compare East Frisian sladdern and northern German schladdern ("to rain noisily").

Meanings

1. (transitive) A thick sauce or spread that is to be slathered (spread thickly) onto food.
2. (transitive) Drool (especially if abundant).
   • [The river] Ván in SnE I 21 is mentioned as coming from the slather of the bound Fenris Wolf. 1983, Edda: A Collection of Essays (Robert James Glendinning), page 177
3. (plural-normally, transitive) A generous or abundant quantity.
   • In her eyes the manse people were quite fabulously rich, and no doubt those girls had slathers of shoes and stockings. 1919, Lucy Maud Montgomery, chapter 24, in Rainbow Valley:
   • Then there came a reg'lar terror of a sou'wester same as you don't get one summer in a thousand, and blowed the shanty flat and ripped about half of the weir poles out of the sand. We spent consider'ble money getting 'em reset, and then a swordfish got into the pound and tore the nets all to slathers, right in the middle of the squiteague season. 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

Forms

Deriveds

open slather

slather en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈslæðə(ɹ)/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Unknown; attested from early 19th century, in the sense "to slip, slide". For the sense "to rain", compare East Frisian sladdern and northern German schladdern ("to rain noisily").

Meanings

1. (transitive) To spread something thickly on something else; to coat well.
   • I slathered jam on my toast.
2. (followed by with, often, transitive) To apply generously upon.
   • I slathered my toast with jam.
3. (transitive) To squander.
4. (transitive) To rain.
   • ... rain had fallen all night and it was slathering down in sheets now. That didn't add to my good humor none. 1918, The Green Book Magazine, page 949:
   • ... rain still slathered down out of the rubbery black sky. "Why is the sarge always pickin' on us?" asked Ortwingle sorrowfully as the water drenched down the collar of his raincoat. "I figger maybe we are dependable," Smoot[…] 1941, Esquire:
   • Bring forth the enemy / I want him to beg for his life / Bring forth the enemy / I want his neck on the knife / Incinerate the figurehead / Plan to erase you first / Flooding rain slathering / Bringing what you deserve 2020, “Fallen Torches”, in Medium Rarities (Sludge Metal; Progressive Metal), Track 1:

Forms

Deriveds

beslather

Synonyms

smother

Translations (10)

fr appliquer une généreuse quantité (to apply generously upon) · de einschmieren (to spread something thickly on something else; to coat well) · ru намазывать (to spread something thickly on something else; to coat well) · de auftragen (to spread something thickly on something else; to coat well) · it spalmare (to spread something thickly on something else; to coat well) · ru намазывать (to apply generously upon) · bg намазвам дебело (to spread something thickly on something else; to coat well) · bg слагам обилно (to apply generously upon) · ru размазывать (to spread something thickly on something else; to coat well) · fr appliquer quelque chose épais (to spread something thickly on something else; to coat well)